JP2009028399A - Bristle material for brush and brush - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bristle material for brushes which has a superior cleaning function, and has an indicator function capable of appropriately acquiring the deterioration degree of the cleaning function and easily determins the exchange time of the brush; and a brush using the bristle material for the brushes. <P>SOLUTION: In the bristle material for brushes consisting of a cut bristle of synthetic resin monofilament, the cut bristle is formed of a composite structure having a plurality of unit cross-section elements selected from a side-by-side type, a striped multiple parallel type and a radial type, and the number of times of splits by a split evaluation test is within a range of 10,000-70,000. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a brush bristle material having an excellent cleanability function, and an indicator function that can easily determine the replacement time of the brush by accurately grasping the degree of deterioration of the cleanability function, and the brush The present invention relates to a brush using a hair material.

  Conventionally, synthetic resin monofilaments have been used for brush bristle materials because they are inexpensive and can be easily processed.

  Particularly in recent years, various functions have been required for brushes, and hair materials used for brushes have been proposed having various forms and functions.

  For example, a toothbrush bristle material (for example, refer to Patent Document 1) whose tip is processed into a tapered shape is easy to remove plaque in a narrow part because the tip is easily inserted between teeth, and has excellent tactile properties. As a result, it exerts a specific function not found in conventional toothbrush bristle materials, such as a massage effect on the gums.

  In addition, for the purpose of enhancing the cleanability function, the hair ends are branched into a plurality of pieces, and the hair material processed into a taper shape (see, for example, Patent Document 2), the hair material of the core-sheath composite structure is processed into a taper shape. In addition, hair materials (for example, see Patent Document 3) in which the core portion is exposed at the hair tips, tapered hair materials (for example, see Patent Document 4) subjected to crimping (wavy) processing, and the like have been reported so far. Has been.

  However, no matter how highly cleanable hair materials are used, the durability of the hair materials varies greatly depending on the method of use and usage conditions. An example is a toothbrush. As toothbrushes continue to be used, fluffing and wear occur, and therefore they are usually replaced in 1 to 2 months. However, depending on the user of the toothbrush, there are people who brush their teeth with some effort and others who can brush their teeth in a short time. If there are, some people change in 3 to 4 months, and few users use it by appropriately determining the brush replacement time.

  Some people who use the same toothbrush for a long time, especially because the toothbrush continues to be used regardless of whether the toothbrush is open or worn and the cleaning function is already reduced. Many people suffer from diseases such as periodontal disease and gingivitis even if their teeth are brushed.

In this way, even if the brush was developed to improve the cleanability function, its usage, especially when the brush was replaced, was mistaken, so that the original function was significantly lost, and other harmful effects were observed. Therefore, there has been a demand for a technique for providing an indicator function indicating a certain brush replacement time to the brush or the bristle material itself.
Japanese Patent No. 3145213 JP 2001-169827 A JP 2003-169718 A JP 2003-245134 A

  The present invention has been achieved as a result of studying the solution of the problems in the prior art as an object. That is, the present invention provides a brush bristle material having an excellent cleanability function and an indicator function that can easily determine the replacement time of the brush by accurately grasping the degree of the cleanability function degradation, and An object of the present invention is to provide a brush using the brush hair material.

  To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a bristle material for a brush comprising a synthetic resin monofilament cut bristle, wherein the cut bristle is selected from a side-by-side type, a multiple parallel type, and a radial type. There is provided a bristle material for a brush comprising a composite structure having a plurality of unit cross-sectional elements, wherein the number of cracks evaluated by the following crack evaluation test is in the range of 10,000 to 70000 times.

  [Fracture evaluation test] A base having 64 flocking holes prepared on an ABS plate having a side of 20 mm is prepared, and the brush hair material is flocked at a density of 20 / hole in the flocking hole of the base. And create a brush. Thereafter, the brush is pressed against the surface of a metal plate having a width of 0.5 mm and a depth of 1 mm with 6 lines / cm with a vertical load of 350 g, and the amplitude is 40 mm and the speed is 180 reciprocations / minute in the direction perpendicular to the grooves. The number of times of sliding at the time when the tip cracks occurred at 50% or more of the hair ends of all the brush hair materials planted with the brush is defined as the number of tip cracks.

In the brush hair material of the present invention,
The cut bristle has 2 to 8 unit cross-sectional elements;
At least one of the unit cross-section elements is made of a synthetic resin different from other unit cross-section elements,
At least one of the unit cross-section elements is colored in a color different from other unit cross-section elements,
It is mentioned as a more preferable condition that at least one end of the cut bristle is formed in a tapered shape, and by satisfying these conditions, the degree of deterioration of the cleaning property of the brush is accurately shown when used for a brush, In addition, the brush replacement time can be easily determined.

  The brush of the present invention, particularly the toothbrush, is characterized by using the brush bristle material as at least a part of the bristle material, and prevents diseases such as periodontal disease and gingivitis due to inappropriate use of the toothbrush. An effect is obtained.

  According to the present invention, as will be described below, a brush bristle material and a brush having an excellent cleaning performance equivalent to or better than that of a conventional brush and an indicator function capable of properly determining the replacement time of the brush Is obtained.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  1 (a) to 1 (f) are cross-sectional views showing several examples of bristle constituting the bristle material for brushes of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 (A) and 2 (B) show an example of the bristle material for brushes of the present invention. FIGS. 3A and 3B are enlarged schematic views showing another example of the bristle material for a brush of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bristle constituting the bristle material for brushes of the present invention has a plurality of unit cross-sectional elements whose cross-sectional shape is selected from side-by-side type, striped multiple parallel type and radial type It is composed of a composite structure having

  Here, FIG. 1 (a) shows a general side-by-side type, and FIG. 1 (b) shows a multiple in which a plurality of (three in the drawing) unit cross-sectional elements are arranged in parallel stripes on the cross section. The parallel type is shown.

  1 (c) to 1 (e) show a radial mold in which three, four and six unit sectional elements are arranged radially from the center to the outer periphery of the section, and FIG. 1 (f) shows the center of the section. A modified radial mold is shown in which one unit cross-section element is arranged and six unit cross-section elements are arranged radially from the unit cross-section element to the outer periphery.

  The bristle material for a brush according to the present invention is composed of a bristle having a cross-sectional composite structure in which a plurality of unit cross-section elements are arranged in this way, and when this is used for a certain degree after being planted in a brush, The hair tip is cracked for each unit cross-sectional element, and has an indicator function to notify the replacement time of the brush.

  That is, in the enlarged schematic view showing an example of the bristle material for a brush of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 (A), the bristle material for a brush 1 in a normal state is a bristle when one end a thereof is viewed from the longitudinal direction P. The state of the tip 2 has a structure in which four unit sectional elements 3 are arranged in a radial pattern.

  However, when this bristle material is implanted in a brush and used to some extent, as shown in FIG. 1 (B), the bristle tip 2 ′ at one end a of the bristle material 1 ′ for the brush has each unit sectional element. Since 3 'is divided into a cracked state, an indicator function for notifying the replacement time of the brush is exhibited.

  FIG. 3C shows another example of the bristle material for a brush according to the present invention. One end a of a bristle having a cross-sectional composite structure in which two unit cross-sectional elements 3 are arranged side-by-side is tapered. As shown in FIG. 2 (D), the hair material is implanted in the brush as shown in FIG. 2 (D). When used to some extent, the bristles 2 'at one end a of the bristle material 1' for brushes are in a cracked state where each unit cross-sectional element 3 'is divided, thereby providing an indicator function for notifying the replacement timing of the brush. It comes to show.

  And in the bristle material 1 for brushes of this invention, it is important that the frequency | count of the front crack evaluated by said front crack evaluation test exists in the range of 10,000-70000 times, More preferably, it is 20000-50000 times.

  This is because if the number of cracks is less than the above range, the cracks will occur earlier, so when used for a brush, the cleaning function will deteriorate at an early point, and the brush replacement time will be determined appropriately. On the contrary, when the number of cracks exceeds the above range, the brush bristle material 1 is not cracked in spite of the fact that the brush opens and the cleaning performance is deteriorated. This is because it is difficult to properly determine the brush replacement time.

  The number of each unit cross-sectional element 3 is not particularly limited as long as it is two or more, but if it is too much, it tends to crack easily, and it becomes difficult to indicate an appropriate brush replacement time. The number of cross-sectional elements 3 is preferably 2-8, and more preferably 2-6.

  The synthetic resin material constituting the bristle material 1 for brushes of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a synthetic resin that can be melt-spun. For example, polycoupleramide, polyhexamethylene adipamide, polyhexamethylene sebacamide ( Hereinafter referred to as nylon 610), polyhexamethylene dodecamide, nylon 46, nylon MDX6, nylon 11, nylon 12, poly (capramide / hexamethylene adipamide) copolymer and poly (capramide / lauramide) copolymer, etc. Polyamide resin, polyethylene terephthalate (hereinafter referred to as PET), polybutylene terephthalate (hereinafter referred to as PBT), polyethylene naphthalate, polypropylene terephthalate (hereinafter referred to as PTT), polymethylene naphthalate, polybutylene naphthalate, Polypro Polyester resins such as lenaphthalate, polyphenylene sulfide, polyvinylidene fluoride, ethylene / tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, polytetrafluoroethylene, tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene copolymer, polytetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether Fluorine such as polymer, tetrafluoroethylene / vinylidene fluoride copolymer, tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride copolymer, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, ethylene chloride / tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, fluorovinyl ether One type or two or more types can be appropriately selected from a series resin, a polyolefin series resin, and the like.

  Above all, since a bristle material for a brush having a balance of various physical properties such as high elongation, shrinkage rate and bend recovery is easily obtained, at least one kind selected from a polyamide resin, a polyester resin and a fluorine resin is used. Use is more preferred.

  Moreover, the bristle material 1 for brushes of this invention must exhibit the indicator function which shows the brush replacement | exchange time, when the hair is planted in a brush and used for a certain amount of time. Therefore, when the unit cross-section elements 3 are all made of the same synthetic resin, the time for cracking can be controlled by appropriately selecting the number of unit cross-section elements 3 within the above range, and a more appropriate brush replacement time can be indicated. However, by utilizing the difference in compatibility between the synthetic resins, by controlling at least one of the unit cross-section elements 3 to a synthetic resin different from other unit cross-section elements, the timing for cracking is controlled, More appropriate brush replacement time can be indicated.

  For example, examples of combinations of different synthetic resins include polyester resins and polyamide resins, polyester resins and fluorine resins, polyamide resins and fluorine resins, and the like.

  In addition, when the hair ends of the bristle material 1 for brushes of the present invention are processed into a taper shape, the use of a polyester-based resin is preferable because it can be easily processed by a chemical treatment method using an alkaline solution. Even if it is a system resin, different polyester-based resins can be used for the unit cross-sectional elements 3 such as PBT and PET, PBT and PTT, and PET and PTT.

  Furthermore, in the bristle material 1 for brushes of the present invention, when at least one of the unit cross-section elements 3 has a different color from the other unit cross-section elements, the state when the tip is cracked is visually confirmed. It is preferable because it is easy to do. In addition, about selection of a color, it can select suitably according to the kind of brush to be used, and there is no limitation in particular.

  Furthermore, the bristle material 1 for brushes of the present invention includes particles such as various inorganic fine particles, various metal fine particles, and crosslinked polymer particles, depending on the purpose, as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. , Known antioxidants, light-proofing agents, anti-glare agents, ion-exchange agents, anti-coloring agents, anti-static agents, various coloring agents, waxes, silicone oils, various surfactants, various reinforcing fibers, etc. It is also possible to do.

  The cross-sectional shape of the bristle material 1 for brushes of the present invention is not particularly limited, and there is no problem if it has a composite structure as shown in (a) to (f) of FIG. It may be a polygon such as a pentagon, a multi-leaf shape such as a trilobal shape, a pentalobal shape or an eight-leaf shape, a flat shape such as an elliptical shape or a track shape, or a star shape.

  The method for producing the bristle material 1 for brushes of the present invention does not require any special method. For example, a synthetic resin monofilament is spun using a known composite spinning machine and a composite nozzle, and the resulting synthetic resin monofilament is required. There is a method of making a cut bristle by cutting to a proper length.

  Moreover, if the obtained cut bristle is immersed in a chemical solution such as an alkaline solution and the hair ends are chemically treated, at least one end thereof can be processed into a tapered shape.

  The brush hair material 1 of the present invention includes, for example, phosphate-based, zeolite-based, hydroxyapatite-based antibacterial agents supporting silver ions, zinc oxide, zinc sulfate, zinc chloride, zinc phosphate, Zinc compounds such as zinc nitrate, zinc carbonate, zinc acetate, zinc oxalate, zinc citrate, zinc fumarate, zinc formate, cation antibacterial agents such as benzethonium, benzalkonium, cetylpyridium, chlorhexidine, epigallocatechin, An antibacterial effect can also be imparted by attaching and / or containing a photocatalyst such as tea catechin such as epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin and epicatechin gallate, anatase type or rutile type titanium dioxide.

  The brush bristle material 1 thus obtained has an indicator function that accurately indicates the degree of reduction in the cleaning performance of the brush, so that it is used for cleaning applications such as toothbrushes, body brushes, cleaning brushes, and industrial brushes. Therefore, it is possible to accurately and easily determine when to replace these brushes.

  In particular, in the case of a toothbrush, if the use is continued with the bristle material worn or open, the cleaning function may be significantly reduced, leading to diseases such as periodontal disease and gingivitis. Therefore, when the brush bristle material of the present invention having a cleanability function and an indicator function indicating an appropriate brush replacement time is used for a toothbrush, it is possible to prevent such illness in advance, which is extremely useful. Can be said to be expensive.

  Hereinafter, the hair material for brushes of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples. However, the hair material for brushes of the present invention is not limited to the following examples unless it exceeds the gist thereof.

  In addition, about practical evaluation of the brush in an Example and a comparative example, it performed as follows.

[Clearance evaluation test]
Performed as above.

[Cleanability evaluation test]
A groove of 0.5 mm in width and 1 mm in depth was provided on the surface of an acrylic plate having a side of 40 mm and a height of 10 mm, and 6 grooves / cm were provided on the surface of the acrylic plate. .

  Thereafter, the surface of the acrylic plate was brushed for 3 minutes using the brush (I) before the tip crack evaluation test and the brush (II) after the tip crack evaluation test, and the removal area of the dyeing liquid was determined.

  And the value of S2 / S1 when the removal area of the dyeing liquid by brush (I) and brush (II) was set to S1 and S2, respectively was made into cleaning property evaluation value. When this value is in the range of 0.4 to 0.6, it is determined that the brush replacement time has come.

  The brushing conditions were the same as those in the tip crack evaluation test, with a brush vertical load of 350 g, a brushing amplitude of 40 mm, and an amplitude speed of 180 reciprocations per minute.

  Furthermore, about the bristle material which does not crack ahead used by the following comparative example, the thing after sliding 40 million times by a tip crack evaluation test was made into brush (II).

[Easy judgment of brush replacement time]
Twenty subjects evaluated the brush after the tip crack evaluation test based on the following three values to determine whether or not the brush had been replaced based on the tip crack state of the hair material or the state of the hair material. It was. And the numerical value for 20 persons was averaged and the value was made into the evaluation value of ease of judgment. A smaller value indicates easier determination.
1 ... Easy to judge,
2 ... I was able to roughly judge,
3 ... I could not judge well.

[Example 1]
PBT (Torecon 1200S manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) is supplied to the compound spinning machine, melted and kneaded, extruded from the compound die, further cooled and solidified, heated and stretched, and subjected to heat treatment, the same as in FIG. A synthetic resin monofilament having a side-by-side composite structure was produced.

  The obtained synthetic resin monofilament was cut into a length of 30 mm to form a cut bristle, which was used as a brush hair material.

[Example 2]
A bristle material for a brush was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the composite structure was the same radial type as in FIG.

Example 3
PBT and nylon 610 (Toray Industries, Inc. CM2001, the same applies hereinafter) are fed to a compound spinning machine and melt-kneaded, and then these synthetic resins are co-extruded from a composite die, further cooled, solidified, heated and stretched and subjected to heat treatment. Synthetic resin monofilaments having unit cross-sectional elements each made of PBT and nylon 610 and having the same side-by-side composite structure as in FIG.

  The obtained synthetic resin monofilament was cut into a length of 30 mm to form a cut bristle, which was used as a brush hair material.

Example 4
The cut bristle obtained in Example 1 was immersed in an alkaline solution to process the hair tip into a taper shape, and this was used as a hair material for a brush.

Example 5
A cut bristle was produced in the same manner as in Example 3 using PET (T701T manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) instead of nylon 610. Thereafter, the cut bristle obtained was immersed in an alkaline solution to process the tip of the hair into a taper shape, and this was used as a hair material for a brush.

Example 6
After supplying PBT and nylon 610 to a compound spinning machine and melt-kneading them, these synthetic resins are coextruded from a composite die, further cooled, solidified, heated and stretched, and subjected to heat treatment. A synthetic resin monofilament having a unit cross-sectional element made of nylon 610 and having the same striped multiple parallel type composite structure as in FIG.

  The obtained synthetic resin monofilament was cut into a length of 30 mm to form a cut bristle, which was used as a brush hair material.

Example 7
A blue pigment was kneaded into PBT to prepare a blue PBT masterbatch. After supplying PBT and a mixture of PBT and PBT masterbatch to the composite spinning machine and melt-kneading each, these synthetic resins are co-extruded from the composite die, and further cooled, solidified, heated and stretched, and subjected to heat treatment. One of the elements was colored blue, and a synthetic resin monofilament having the same side-by-side composite structure as that shown in FIG.

  Then, the obtained synthetic resin monofilament was cut to a length of 30 mm to form a cut bristle, and further dipped in an alkaline solution to process the hair tip into a taper shape, which was used as a hair material for a brush.

[Comparative Example 1]
Nylon 610 was supplied to the melt spinning machine and melt-kneaded in the melt spinning machine. Then, the synthetic resin was extruded from the spinneret, and further cooled, solidified, heated and stretched, and subjected to heat treatment to produce a single structure synthetic resin monofilament.

  The obtained synthetic resin monofilament was cut into a length of 30 mm to form a cut bristle, which was used as a brush hair material.

[Comparative Example 2]
After supplying PBT to the melt spinning machine and melt-kneading, the synthetic resin was extruded from the spinneret, and further cooled, solidified, heated and stretched, and heat-treated to produce a single structure synthetic resin monofilament.

  The resulting synthetic resin monofilament is cut to a length of 30 mm to form a cut bristle, and the cut bristle is dipped in a sodium hydroxide solution to process the tip of the hair into a tapered shape, which is used as a hair material for a brush. did.

[Comparative Example 3]
A blue pigment was kneaded into nylon 610 to prepare a blue nylon 610 masterbatch. Then, PBT and a mixture of nylon 610 and nylon 610 masterbatch are supplied to a composite spinning machine and melt-kneaded, and then these synthetic resins are coextruded from a composite die, further cooled, solidified, heated and stretched, and subjected to heat treatment. A core-sheath composite resin monofilament comprising PBT and a core component of nylon 610 was produced.

  The obtained synthetic resin monofilament was cut to a length of 30 mm to form a cut bristle, and the cut bristle was immersed in a sodium hydroxide solution to expose the core component from the hair tip, and the exposed core was colored blue. A brush hair was prepared.

  The evaluation results of the obtained brush hair material are shown in Table 1.

  As is clear from the results in Table 1, the brush bristle material of the present invention (Examples 1 to 7) was used when compared with the conventional brush hair material (Comparative Examples 1 and 2). It can be seen that the degree of deterioration of the cleaning performance can be accurately indicated and the replacement time of the brush can be easily determined.

  Moreover, in the bristle material for brushes of the present invention, since the ease of cracking differs depending on the number of unit cross-sectional elements, the combination of synthetic resins used, and the difference in the form of the composite structure, the type of brush used Thus, it is possible to appropriately control the brush replacement time.

  Furthermore, as shown in Example 7, it is possible to more easily determine the brush replacement time by coloring at least one of the unit cross-section elements.

  Since the bristle material for brushes of the present invention has an excellent cleanability function and an indicator function that accurately indicates the degree of deterioration of the cleanability function of the brush, the toothbrush, body brush, cleaning brush, industrial brush When used for cleaning purposes, it is possible to accurately and easily determine when to replace these brushes.

  In particular, in the case of a toothbrush, if the bristle material is worn or left open, it may cause diseases such as periodontal disease and gingivitis because the cleaning function is significantly reduced. Since the bristle material for brushes of the invention also has an indicator function that accurately indicates the degree of reduction in the cleaning performance of the brush, when used in a toothbrush, the effect can be more preferably exhibited.

FIGS. 1A to 1F are cross-sectional views showing several examples of bristle that constitute the bristle material for a brush of the present invention. 2A and 2B are enlarged schematic views showing an example of the bristle material for a brush of the present invention. 3A and 3B are enlarged schematic views showing another example of the bristle material for a brush of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Brush hair material 2 State figure of the hair tip when it sees from the longitudinal direction P 3 Unit cross-section element 4 Taper part 5 Straight part a One end of the brush hair material 1
P Longitudinal direction of bristle material 1 for brush

Claims (7)

A bristle material for a brush comprising a synthetic resin monofilament cut bristle, the cut bristle comprising a composite structure having a plurality of unit cross-sectional elements selected from a side-by-side type, a striped multiple parallel type and a radial type The bristle material for a brush is characterized in that the number of times of the tip crack evaluated by the following tip crack evaluation test is in the range of 10,000 to 70000 times.
[Fracture evaluation test] A base having 64 flocking holes prepared on an ABS plate having a side of 20 mm is prepared, and the brush hair material is flocked at a density of 20 / hole in the flocking hole of the base. And create a brush. Thereafter, the brush is pressed against the surface of a metal plate having a width of 0.5 mm and a depth of 1 mm with 6 lines / cm with a vertical load of 350 g, and the amplitude is 40 mm and the speed is 180 reciprocations / minute in the direction perpendicular to the grooves. The number of times of sliding at the time when the tip cracks occurred at 50% or more of the hair ends of all the brush hair materials planted with the brush is defined as the number of tip cracks. The brush bristle material according to claim 1, wherein the cut bristle has a composite structure having 2 to 8 unit cross-sectional elements. The brush bristle material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the unit sectional elements is made of a synthetic resin different from other unit sectional elements. The brush bristle material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the unit cross-sectional elements is colored in a color different from that of the other unit cross-sectional elements. The bristle material for a brush according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least one end of the cut bristle is formed in a tapered shape. A brush characterized by using the bristle material for brush according to any one of claims 1 to 5 as at least a part of the bristle material. The brush according to claim 6, wherein the brush is a toothbrush.

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